Englands former top doctor: Ban eating on public transport

posted onOct. 10, 2019 at 8:01 pm

Englands former chief medical officer, Sally Davies, on Thursday called for a ban on eating and drinking on urban public transport and an extension of the countrys sugar tax, in her final report addressing childhood obesity.

Obesity affects on average one-fifth of primary-school kids, said Davies, adding that exercise alone will not solve the problem. In the report, which is independent from government, Davies sets out a plethora of recommendations to tackle the issue.

Most eye-catching is the ban on eating or drinking on public transport, which is explained as a way for children to grow up “free from marketing, signals and incentives to consume unhealthy food and drinks.” (Breastfeeding, drinking water and eating or drinking for a medical condition would be exempt.)

Davies also floats the possibility of introducing standardized packaging for food, which is already used for tobacco, as well as phasing out of all advertising for unhealthy foods and drinks.